#54 – How do we consider the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ when He was on earth was worshipped as recorded in several passages in the New Testament? It is granted that only the true God is worthy of worship. Since Jesus Christ accepted worship, is it not a settled fact that He should be put on the same level as the Father?
Answer: Yes on the basis of worthiness and acceptance of worship, Christ should be considered as true God with the same attributes as God the Father. We will substantiate our stand.
Consider the following arguments. Quotations are from the NKJV:
1. Only the true God should be worshiped.
Deut. 6:13, “You shall fear the LORD YOUR God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name.”
Deut. 10:20, “You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve Him, and to Him you shall hold fast, and take oaths in His name.
Matt. 4:10, “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”
2. Christ should be honored as much as the Father is honored.
John 5:23, “that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father, He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” Worship is the highest honor a human being can give to God. If the Father is worthy of worship, and worship is an honor to the Father, then Christ should be honored as God in our worship.
3. The Wisemen were moved by God to go pay homage to the baby Jesus. By inference, we can conclude that they were inspired in their knowledge that this newborn baby is the Son of God worthy of worship.
Matt. 2:2, 11, 12, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him. x x x 11. And when they have come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. x x x 12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.”
4. A Leper worshipped Christ.
Matt. 8:2-3, “And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.’ Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, ‘I am willing, be cleansed.’ And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”
5. A ruler worshiped Christ.
Matt. 9:18, “While He spoke these things to them, behold a ruler came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live.”
6. The apostles worshiped Christ.
Matt. 14:33, “Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him saying, ‘Truly You are the Son of God.”
7. A woman worshiped Christ.
Matt. 15:25, “Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me!’”
8. The disciples worshiped Christ.
Mtt. 28:9, “And as they went to tell His disciples, behold Jesus met them, saying ‘Rejoice!’ And they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.”
9. The apostles worshiped Christ after His resurrection.
Luke 24:52, “And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.”
10. Angels worship Christ.
Hebrews 1:6, “But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: ‘Let all the angels of God worship Him.’”
We have amply shown proofs that Christ, while on earth, was actually worshiped by human beings coming from various stations in life. God Himself declared that angels should worship Christ. Christ was worthy of worship even by angels because in the human body of Christ dwelt Deity. Notice the declaration of the Apostle Paul in Colossians 2:9, “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” # – ET